In my next life I'll be a vagabond.

Menu

Monthly Archives: January 2014

Every day around four in the afternoon Matthew starts roaming the kitchen looking to see what is on the menu for dinner. It makes sense then to include him in the preparation and soups are something he is likes to help make. This is a good recipe to have kids help with.

Yesterday we forayed outside our normal routine and tried a new soup: curried sweet potato. The soup turned out so delicious I’m sharing it with you.

The idea of curry, especially to my meat and potatoes husband, was a little scary. Some people have warned us that curried foods were hot and spicy. But we are brave souls and there’s always McDonald’s just down the road if the soup was too inedible.

What prompted me to make the soup was that I discovered in our local Sprouts grocery store, a whole shelf of bulk spices. I’ve been shopping there for years and never seen it but I’m sure it’s not new. Anyway, I was able to measure out just enough of the spices and not buy whole bottles that could potentially be tossed if we didn’t like them. Here is the recipe from which I based our soup: Curried Sweet Potato Soup.

This soup is naturally gluten free and can be dairy free if you use just oil for the sauteing and a milk substitute. (If you want to cut down on the fat, don’t use so much :), you can also find light coconut milk at the Asian market or in larger grocery stores. You’re smart, you know what to do.) I used large yams in the recipe and it made enough soup for six…and that’s at two bowls apiece for the boys.

Ingredients:

3 large sweet potatoes (or yams)

2 Tbsp butter or margarine

2 Tbsp of olive oil

2 brown onions, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 Tbsp of garam masala

1 tsp of curry powder

1 tsp salt

3 cans of chicken or vegetable stock (I used low salt)

1 lb silken tofu firm cut into chunks

1 cup of coconut milk or regular milk

Things I did different from the original recipe:

·I have since read several recipes and they all say use sweet potatoes not yams. I can’t tell the difference and yams were on sale so that’s what we used. I also read that you are supposed to roast the sweet potatoes ‘to caramelize and enhance the flavor, well maybe… but I just cut them into big chunks and boiled them. Peel after they are cooked-it’s lots easier.

·I didn’t use whole celery stalks; I just cut the leafy tops off a bunch and chopped them up. Celery stalks were eaten later, with peanut butter…

·One thing I did not try but am sure would taste good is some bell peppers.

·I have seen recipes that talk about choosing a spicy or mild curry. What I found at Sprouts just said curry powder. But, and this may be important…I neglected to write curry and garam masala on the bags so when it came time to make I took a guess that the curry powder was the more yellow one and the brownish one was garam masala. Since you use a tablespoon of one it might make a difference in the spiciness. The original recipe says that if you can’t find the garam masala you can just add more curry powder—just taste it before you go to crazy.

·I also added tofu for protein. Husband did not know it was there until I told him. I think it adds a nice smoothness to the soup.

·We did not use coconut milk. We drink almond/coconut milk so I just used this…I think you could add regular milk with the same effect. If your soup is too thick add a little more milk or add some water.

Preparation:

Slice the sweet potato into large pieces. Boil in water until tender. Let cool, then peel.

Cut up the onion, garlic and celery. Saute in your large cooking pot in margarine and olive oil until tender.

Add spices and heat through (if you think it might be too spicy add half and then taste-ours was not at all hot). Add your cut up tofu now. Remove from heat and let the tofu absorb some flavor for twenty minutes or so.

Cut up the sweet potatoes and add to your sauce pan, stirring to coat.

Add stock, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are very soft.

Use your hand masher and beaters or blender to blend until smooth. (I used a hand blender with great results.)

Add milk and stir to combine. Heat through.

Ladle into bowls. Add a dollop of sour cream if desired and serve with garlic toast.

You may remember that it was just over a year ago we lost our much loved Sadie. It was hard on the family to put her to sleep but everyone agreed it was for the best; her hips had given out and she couldn’t walk any longer.

Those who have had pets know what I’m talking about. There is a strong emotional bond we humans form with these dogs who love us without restrictions. And yes, I say dogs; because I know my cats, who might like me, just don’t have that same relationship.

So, that said, we all grieve differently and we all decide whether to risk attachment and assume the responsibility to another pet at different times. The family, for example, was ready for a new pup last summer but not me.

Still, as more time passed it did seem like we were ready for a new dog. For months Bob had been getting emails from friends to whom he had put out feelers. I managed to ignore them all, until last month. Bob was busy at a job site and without looking had forwarded an email with a picture of “Sadie”.

Really.

A pretty common dog name, no doubt, but for us, one that called our attention. So I called the lady and it turned out that “Sadie” was a lost beagle whose owner couldn’t be found. This woman was part of a beagle rescue program and had taken the dog because her friend had indicated she wanted one. But, like sometimes happens, when the woman was given the dog she backed away from her statements, saying they just weren’t ready for a pet. The rescuer’s husband wouldn’t agree to their having a third beagle so she decided to seek out a good home for her. Lucky for us.

Sophia Wendt, once known as Sadie.

The only stipulation to getting the dog was that the woman would have to come meet us. She invited me to come see Sadie but I laughed and told her that once Matthew saw the dog there would be no leaving it so she arranged to come visit us and bring the dog along. If we passed muster the dog would be ours. This turned out to be our most exciting Christmas present ever. Of course, we kept the dog and now almost a month later this is home.

While the name Sadie caused us to call initially we decided that this new dog should have a different name so Sadie became Sophia.

The cats were especially concerned with the idea of a new dog in the house, they too had gotten used to the quiet. Spooky (the black one you have never seen) turned into a giant puffball of fur with saucer eyes. But they are all now, if not friends, at least mutual acquaintances; the cats now allow the dog to sleep on the bed next to them with just the occasional wary glance her direction.

Sophie thinks the pillows are for her exclusive use.

Now that Sophie is more comfortable with us we have learned some things about her. She is gentle and Matthew will tell you she has the softest ears. At about two years old Sophie has had some training and likes to go for walks or rides in the car. As a beagle, she has a definite hound dog howl. She hates to be alone–we wonder if she lived with someone elderly who was always home and liked to sleep in. And she has a nose. She is always tracking in the back yard and it doesn’t matter if she’s in the upstairs bedroom, if I start cooking she is right there to see what’s going in the pot. You can’t hide a snack because the nose knows.

Someone had food up here…

So if you come to visit, prepare to be greeted by a wagging tale and a howling greeting of a loving dog. Of course, if I’m cooking you’ll find The Nose in the kitchen.

What’s for dinner???

0.0000000.000000

Share this:

Like this:

I meant to share this post after Christmas last year but as soon as the decorations were down I forgot. Today’s post is not about remembering the real meaning of Christmas. There are plenty of others who will write about that. Instead, today I want to tell you how our family lowered the cost and reduced the stress of Christmas.

Are your holiday credit charges now coming due? Maybe you’ll want to put some of these ideas next year to work in your family.

A few years ago after we all opened ALL our packages and began the clean up my mom asked me what everyone had gotten. It was then I realized everyone had gotten so much stuff that nothing really stood out. And it’s no wonder. Like many of you we have gotten used to just picking up things the kids or family needs during the year so by the time Christmas rolls around they really don’t have one particular wish. And because they don’t want one specific thing we made up by just buying all sorts of stuff.

It’s a good thing; a real first world problem, but we parents often are pulled into feeling that we need to buy more and more–just because.

So after Mom and I talked about it I decided our family most likely didn’t need all the stuff we got and most likely we didn’t need to spend all that money.

It all kind of fell into place when talking to the poor college student daughter, she was trying to figure out what to buy for different members of the family. At our next family gathering I shared my revelation and announced that we would pick a maximum dollar amount per person and everyone had to agree to stick to it. Our family picked $20…for no other reason than it was a good round number. To get the family more enthused I explained I would be judging their gifts for cleverness and there would be prizes.

Just a few presents: Photo calendar made by Grandma, popcorn for Matthew, a couple lottery tickets for everyone, a small log representing a load of split wood for the folks, and some pot holders hand crocheted by the poor college student.

I was surprised at the family reaction. What would have been just an ordinary Christmas suddenly turned into a challenge. We had to really think about what the other person would want or could use. Some in the family decided to make gifts. The poor college student embroidered Christmas designs on towels. Bob made a cookie sheet holder for the cupboard. Some choose to buy food items, the kind that you might want but just put back on the shelf because it costs more than you think you should pay for such a product. Grandma got Bob a giant jar of peanut butter while I got the college student a case of mac & cheese. We put the dehydrator to good use and Grandma got a box of dried vegetables ready to throw in her famous soup. To no one’s surprise Matthew received hero themed presents including coloring books and colored pencils. But even better, Matthew was able to be part of the planning as he crushed a box of soda cans for Grandpa’s recycling project.

Do note that thinking of these ideas might take more time then just buying off the shelf at your local megamart. We started in November the first year and now enjoying having the whole year to plan and shop with these limitations in mind.

My most useful present? According to the family it is a new keyboard with actual letters…

Opening the gifts was fun for all. We laughed at our own cleverness and talked about why we were inspired to give each present. Prizes were awarded for most unique, most homemade, most regifting, etc. I don’t remember what was handed out for prizes but it seems like they were coupons for coffee at McDonalds and the like… something small but fun and usable. Now as the January bills roll around we’re not having to re-budget and eat beans the rest of the month. We’ve discovered a meaningful and fun Christmas does not have to be an extravagant Christmas.

If you decide to try this be sure to let me know how it works for your family. I bet you’ll be as surprised as we were at how much fun it can be.

About this Blog

This website is generally personal about family life and both its challenges and its rewards.
I also write articles for a conservative website which are more focused on politics or conservative issues that are in the news.
No, I don't write daily...my list of other things to accomplish each day is too long. I welcome your visit and your comments.
Please leave a comment when you stop by. I read all your notes and try to respond to each one.